Cleaning a 22lr bolt action
- Thread starter dak0ta
- Start date
22lr is pretty dirty ammo
i usually clean mine after every day out, but my 22 is a semiauto so i go through a few rounds.
as for cleaning i use a brush, and patch.
i also only use copper plated ammo.
never tried a bore snake so im not sure about those
i usually clean mine after every day out, but my 22 is a semiauto so i go through a few rounds.
as for cleaning i use a brush, and patch.
i also only use copper plated ammo.
never tried a bore snake so im not sure about those
500 rounds, thats about all you need to clean to keep a bolt-gun happy.
Also get a one-piece cleaning rod, bore-guide and use only patches; you shouldn't need a brush for rimfire.
You will do more damage and wear over-cleaning a rimfire barrel then anything else, especially with a bore-snake or multi piece rod.
Cheers,
Grant
Also get a one-piece cleaning rod, bore-guide and use only patches; you shouldn't need a brush for rimfire.
You will do more damage and wear over-cleaning a rimfire barrel then anything else, especially with a bore-snake or multi piece rod.
Cheers,
Grant
- Location
- Hillbilly shack in the boonies
like the screw on plugs, of felt, both clean, and the green bronze wire emragnated ones. special attachment to screw these onto. and fit on any rod...
If your keeping your bore,and gun clean, a pass or 2 will do. And as mentioned, not much to clean up, so no need to clean every time at the range, if your not gonna store for a long time.
The worst case , you get it dirty, and let set under humid conditions for a long time, where moisture will form .
If your keeping your bore,and gun clean, a pass or 2 will do. And as mentioned, not much to clean up, so no need to clean every time at the range, if your not gonna store for a long time.
The worst case , you get it dirty, and let set under humid conditions for a long time, where moisture will form .
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And I clean the crap out of my .22's. I shoot so many rounds through them, (your head would spin if I told you) that if I don't stay ahead of them, they are a pain to clean later. If I shoot them in the field, I oil them that night. If I put a brick through them, they get scrubbed. If they get finger prints from handling they get oiled. But I usually get bored and strip and clean all my guns about once a month anyways if I'm sitting around at Night with nothing to do.
- Location
- Hillbilly shack in the boonies
And be aware of temp changes when returning to a cool place, with warm metal, same as cold metal in winter, when you return it to a warm home. Any moisture in the air will go after the gun.
- Location
- Winnipeg,Man.
A pass with a bore snake will suffice for bore cleaning after each outing. (usually a 4-7 day gopher trip) but the semi-autos require a more thorough bolt cleaning to keep them operating top-notch.
I also have a question regarding accuracy. My Marlin's front blade seems to be canted to the left a little when I look through the rear ramp sight. Also, my points of impact where to the left and slightly above of where I was aiming. I was shooting with iron sights mind you. Are these guns supposed to be accurate with irons, or just scope em?
TangoSixNiner
Member
- Location
- SW Ontario
multi-piece rods do damage?
Oh god yes. Of course I'd only be worried if it was a fairly high quality barrel to start with, don't worry about destroying the accuracy of your stock 10/22 with a jointed rod.
I cringe everytime I see the issued rods get used at work (CF), those poor C7/C8 get a hell of a lot of celaning for what they do. I'm sure most of their bore wear and inaccuracy is caused by those rods.
I definately wouldn't throw one down the bore of my Anschutz, or a bore-snake for that matter either.
Most folks I know say that if you can keep it clean with a solid rod and just patches the barrel will thank you.
Cheers,
Grant
easyrider604
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Greater Vancouver, BC
A clean .22 barrel of decent quality, needs a few fouling shots to regain accuracy. Then it maintains its accuracy for several hundred to a thousand rounds (maybe more), depending of course on the condition of your barrel and the ammo you are using.
My take on when to clean? Only one criteria. Clean if and only when your accuracy drops. I've got more than 500 shots of mixed lead and plated Winchester bulk pack through each of my CZ452s and groups have been constant.
The dirt you see when you scope a 22 bore is usually just powder residue. It gets blown out by the next shot and replaced with fresh residue . Decent ammo has bullet lubricant that protects the bore from wear and it takes few shots to deposit a nice layer of lube. Leading is almost non-existent because of the low velocities and efficient modern lubricants.
If you have leading, you will know because then your accuracy will drop. Time to clean.
I think most wear on .22 barrels occur in the first few dozen shots in a "just cleaned" bore. No lubricant barrier yet. This is analogous to cold starting your car engine when the oil has not built up sufficient pressure and the wearing surfaces are basically "dry".
Agree with cleaning techniques in previous posts, ie. one piece rods (there are not joints to mess with rifling), patches only...no brass brushes, bore guide a must.
.22 barrels are not cleaning sensitive per se, it is just that because of the lack of knowledge on proper cleaning technique, most of us do more damage to the bore while cleaning than a blob of lead ahead of hot propellant gases.
First of all, Boresnake....
....other than that, like others have mentioned, try not to get too fancy with your .22-cleaning regime!
I suppose a lot of the answer to that query depends on if you have adjustable sights or not. Also, part of the answer would depend on the range/distance at which you were shooting. All that having been said, some of those iron-sighted rifles (esp. the older Marlins) are pretty accurate, sans scope...
There's something to be said about letting a barrel "get used to" a certain type of ammo, or become "acclimatized" to it. For example, if you are using lubed-ammo, you'll want to put about 10-15 rounds down the barrel before testing that ammo's performance in your firearm, as it'd take that long to get some consistency between shots.
....other than that, like others have mentioned, try not to get too fancy with your .22-cleaning regime! I suppose a lot of the answer to that query depends on if you have adjustable sights or not. Also, part of the answer would depend on the range/distance at which you were shooting. All that having been said, some of those iron-sighted rifles (esp. the older Marlins) are pretty accurate, sans scope...
There's something to be said about letting a barrel "get used to" a certain type of ammo, or become "acclimatized" to it. For example, if you are using lubed-ammo, you'll want to put about 10-15 rounds down the barrel before testing that ammo's performance in your firearm, as it'd take that long to get some consistency between shots.
- Location
- Sudbury, On
One time I didn't clean my 93GL after just a dozen rounds (called into work). I was only shooting CCI Maxi-Mags (decent ammo, pretty clean stuff). Put it away in a case, and life got ahold of me, I completely forgot that I hadn't cleaned it. End result? Surface rust on the bolt and action. Took some pretty intense cleaning to get rid of it, and there's still some of it left to this day.
As always YMMV.
easyrider604
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Greater Vancouver, BC
It's a good idea after every range sesson to give the whole gun a good wipedown, and lightly oil all the metal parts you can reach with a small cotton rag. Bolt actions are easy to clean.
It is the bore that I rarely ever touch.
easyrider604
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Greater Vancouver, BC
Cleaning a brand new barrel is a good idea, just so you know that you are starting with a clean barrel.
cyclone mentioned that a barrel needs to be acclimatized to a specific brand/type of ammo. I have experienced the same phenomenon. Once I have determined the best shooting ammo for a particular rifle, I stick to that.
Mind you, I only shoot cheap Winchester bulk from Walmart and regardless of lead or plated bullets, they all are accurate enough in my all my bolties and semis.
Rule of thumb for me is lead for bolties, plated for semis.
